The ForceCast (program)
The Weekly ForceCast, hosted by Jason Swank and Jimmy Mac, is The ForceCast's flagship program. It launched on September 1, 2006, and is currently the number-one most downloaded Star Wars podcast in production. History Successor to "TheForce.Net Podcast" The first incarnation of an official podcast for TheForce.Net was produced by Erik Blythe, but he had to step down from the show due to external conflicts. TheForce.Net Content Manager Dustin Roberts held a contest for Blythe's successor, and Jason Swank and Pete Nadel were selected to continue the show. As Swank explains it, "TheForce.Net was looking for a host to re-launch the podcast, so I quickly shot Roberts an e-mail."http://www.moviehole.net/200814114-the-cynical-optimist-meets-the-force-cast Swank, who had been on the air at a radio station as its promotions manager, received a reply from Roberts. He and Nadel made the audition tape, which he calls "really bad". Nevertheless, after hearing the tape, Roberts gave the two Star Wars fans the go-ahead, and the ForceCast was born. The ForceCast with Jason Swank and Pete Nadel After a few months of doing the show, as Swank and Nadel got more comfortable with their new roles, the ForceCast hosts started getting emails from Jimmy "Mac" McInerney, a Chicago-based audio engineer whom Swank described as a "cocky radio guy". “At first I thought he was just busting our chops," Swank added. "Turns out the guy just really wanted to help." McInerney said, “I liked what I was hearing and I thought Jason and Pete had fabulous chemistry." As revealed in the audition tape, the two co-hosts originally called each other by nicknames, with Jason as "Jedi Swank" and Pete as "Master Nadel." In May 2007, The ForceCast traveled to Los Angeles to cover the 30th anniversary of A New Hope at Star Wars Celebration IV. On Wednesday, July 2, 2008, the ForceCast's live broadcasts switched from USTREAM to Stickam, as part of the hosts' overall goal of getting their live feeds hosted on TheForce.Net itself. Additionally, Swank and Nadel added a liveblog -- courtesy of CovertItLive -- where they posted links to stories discussed during the recording, so live listeners could follow along. On Wednesday, July 9, 2008, fans who entered the Stickam live stream were greeted by a picture of a Lando Mighty Mugg holding a sign that said, "Maybe your clowns got a webcam." The statement referenced Lando Calrissian actor Billy Dee Williams' famous remark from an early Billy Dee Quote of the Week. With this image, Swank and Nadel unveiled their newest endeavor: live streaming video to accompany the show audio. In July 2008, The ForceCast provided exclusive podcast coverage from Star Wars Celebration Japan, with special guests including Mark Hamill, Ray Park, and Temuera Morrison. On Friday, July 25, 2008, The ForceCast's entry into the 2009 Atom Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge won two awards at the San Diego Comic-Con ceremony. An animated segment from the weekly show, the video was created as part of FCTV. Kay and Mark Minckiewicz did the animation, McInerney wrote and produced the video, and Swank voiced George Lucas (using an impression which is now quite popular on The ForceCast). The video won for Best Animated Feature and Audience Choice. One of the trophies sits in the ForceCast studio in Canton, Ohio, and another resides with McInerney at the ForceCast satellite annex in Chicago. On Wednesday, September 3, 2008, Nadel announced that he would be leaving the show. He taped his last show with Swank on Wednesday, September 24, 2008. On one of the longest shows to date, he thanked the fans, his fellow crew members, and everyone at TheForce.Net and Rebelscum.com for their support. The ForceCast with Jason Swank and Jimmy Mac Following Nadel's departure, Jimmy Mac stepped up to take the role of co-host. He has been well-received among listeners for his impressions of Star Wars luminaries such as Irvin Kershner and Harrison Ford. McInerney also made news in the fan community when he ranted against film critic Roger Ebert following Ebert's scathing review of Fanboys. In January 2009, Jimmy Mac hosted the Chicago premiere of Fanboys for a packed house. The ForceCast receieved a "Special Thanks" credit on the film for their role in a grass-roots marketing campaign for the film. In Feburary 2009, The ForceCast traveled to Columbus, Ohio to attend the premiere of Fanboys in writer Ernie Cline's former stomping grounds. Following the premiere, Jason Swank hosted a Q&A with Cline, Fanboys director Kyle Newman, and producers Matt Pernicairo and Kevin Mann. On June 13, 2009, Swank announced that the ForceCast was moving its live broadcasts back to Ustream following technical issues on Stickam. Also in June 2009, The ForceCast became the first Star Wars podcast to feature a conversation with George Lucas as Jimmy Mac attended "An Adventure with George Lucas" - A benefit for The Gene Siskel Film Center honoring Lucas with an extravagant dinner followed by a Q&A with Lucas hosted by Jon Faverau. Lucas talked to the ForceCast at this event and revealed he had seen The George Lucas Hip Hop Awards, which he called "very good." On the July 24, 2009 episode of the show, Swank and McInerney played a promo for "8-5-09: The ForceCast Saga Continues." When that episode went up on TheForce.Net, a link to ForceCast.Net was included on the show notes. Visitors to the link in the next week were presented with a "Coming Soon" message. The website went live shortly before the next show was recorded on August 5, and currently includes links to the ForceCast's Twitter, Flickr, and Facebook accounts, a show calendar, the show blog, the live-stream page, information about the hosts, categories for the different types of episodes, and more. October 2009 saw The ForceCast travel to the Dallas-area to podcast live from Star Wars Fan Days 3 The ForceCast became the first Star Wars podcast to unveil their own Apple iOS application in March 2010. The app is available at Apple's App Store and features access to every show and bonus content. On August 11, 2010, Swank and McInerney kicked off five-day "No Fan Left Behind" coverage of Celebration V in Orlando, FL. The ForceCast team recorded three shows in front of a live audience at their booth on the show floor. During the first live show, on August 12th, Jason and Jimmy were inducted into the 501st Legion as Friends of the Legion. They are the first podcast hosts to receive that honor. Jason and Jimmy were also recognized at CV by Star Wars: The Clone Wars Supervising Director Dave Filoni as having contributed immeasurably to Star Wars fandom. On August 14th, during the third and final live show, Filoni stopped by to present the two hosts with plaques commemorating their induction into his 104th Wolf Pack, which recognizes their significant commitment to the Star Wars community. Filoni mentioned that, at the moment, there were only fifteen such plaques in existence. On October 19, 2010, Senior Web Editor Eric Geller launched this wiki with a blog post on ForceCast.Net. Show rundown The main sections of the show consist of: *'Intro': The hosts open the show, and sometimes correct themselves as pointed out by listeners. In this segment, they also follow up on stories from past shows that have developed further. Sometimes, they offer information about projects or events related to Star Wars or their show (including celebrity convention appearances or charity auctions). *'Billy Dee Quote of the Week': The ForceCast plays a humorous clip of actor Billy Dee Williams in one of his various roles from multimedia history. This segment is introduced by Mr. Williams himself. *'Headlines': A run-through of the past week in Star Wars news. *'Celebration Update': In the lead-up to a Star Wars Celebration, the hosts provide convention news and conventioneering tips. *'The Jimmy Mac Investigative Report': McInerney explores the cracks and crevices of Star Wars lore, contacting primary sources in the Star Wars production community and answering burning questions for listeners. *'Star Wars in Pop Culture': The hosts present and discuss the various TV show, music, and film references to Star Wars. *'Collecting': Rebelscum.com's Dan Curto joins Swank and McInerney to cover recent collecting and merchandise announcements. *'The Outrageous Unthinkable Story of the Week': Inspired by Sio Bibble's quotes "It's outrageous!" and "It's unthinkable!" and accompanied by a musical introduction of its own, this section features a story that is deemed too hilarious or incredible to put in the general news section. *'Listener Feedback': The hosts play voicemail messages and read emails. Occasionally, they also take live calls. Discontinued Segments *'Birthdays': The ForceCast wishes Star Wars celebrities and ForceCast fans a happy birthday. The birthday segment was discontinued on July 8th, 2009. Opening music The ForceCast's opening music is considered by show fans to be as distinctive as the Star Wars theme music itself. The music has evolved over time, eventually adding more clips from the films and utilizing McInerney's voice. Episodes Full articles for episodes of The Weekly ForceCast can be found here. Notes and references External links *Weekly ForceCast episodes on ForceCast.Net Category:Programs